The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters honored two Los Angeles broadcasting icons earlier this month during their November luncheon held at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City: Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards.

The pair are most recently known as television stars, having hosted the KTLA Channel 5 coverage of the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade for most of the past 33 years. Eubanks has been the host since 1979; Edwards joined him three years later.

Both announced that this will be their last year presenting the parade and they insist — and I believe them — that they are leaving on their own terms.

Eubanks, of course, is also well-known for his stint as host of the tremendously popular “Newlywed Game” that ran on ABC Television from 1966 to the mid-1980s.

But it was radio that gave him his start.

After a short time at KACY in Oxnard, Eubanks became part of the famous 11-10 Men who propelled the original KRLA (now KDIS-AM 1110) to the top of the ratings in Los Angeles in the early-mid 1960s, defeating previous leader KFWB-AM (980).

This was done through an energetic staff of young DJs such as Eubanks and luncheon dais speaker Dave Hull, along with a faster-paced presentation and a tie-in with an up-and-coming young pop band called the Beatles.

It was Eubanks who saw the potential in the Beatles as a promotional tool. After being denied loans to pay for it, he actually mortgaged a house he owned with a business partner to bring the Beatles to the Hollywood Bowl in 1964.

The price? $25,000, an amount that would equal about $190,000 today.

The first concert sold out in 31/2 hours. Eubanks was also the promoter behind such artists as the Who, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, the Rolling Stones and more.

He was with KRLA from its Top-40 inception in 1960 until he left radio for good in 1967 due, I am sure, to the popularity of “The Newlywed Game” and his other business interests.

Edwards has no radio experience to my knowledge, outside of advertisements for the much-missed Lucky grocery store chain that ran in the 1970s and ’80s.

But she is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and therefore qualifies to be placed in my column.

Readers respond

What Joe is referring to is a site called Dumb.com — “your source for dumb stuff” that happens to have a huge library of old time radio programs. See the full listing on the home- page, scroll down to “cool stuff” and click on the box for Old Time Radio.

• A few people responded to the inquiry last week on “the AM sound,” and Greg Wood was the first who noted: “The sound is amazing and brings me back to the KHJ sound I remember (and what I heard from KFRC whenever in SF) — rich, full, and a better sound than just about most FM’s in L.A. today (attribute that to poor engineering I imagine, and stations now satisfied with putting out a lousy product).

“This is the type of sound I would love to bring back to AM in L.A.,” he said. “Just need a few million dollars.” No kidding.

Cumulus death watch

Cumulus stock was down to 19 cents per share at the final bell Nov. 20. That’s 8 cents and more than 29 percent lower than the 27 cents per share close on Nov. 13.

If this continues, perhaps Wood’s (and my) dream of owning a local AM may not be such a pipe dream after all.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance writer covering radio in Southern California. Send him email at rwagoner@cox.net.